Virtual Team Dynamics - The Ulfire Podcast

This episode is a podcast conversation with Sharon Koifman of Distant Jobs, Sharon is a remote working expert and shared many great thoughts to make remote work better for all involved The post Conversation with Sharon Koifman, remote work expert appeared first on ULFIRE.

In this article I consider the need to establish some boundaries in your work from home workplace and how and how frequently we communicate with colleagues The post Working from home during corona virus part 11 – Boundaries appeared first on ULFIRE.

This article discusses how we will all come to either love or hate working from home. Everyone will have their own experiences and find the good and the bad in the process The post Working from home during Corona virus part 10 – love it or hate it appeared first on ULFIRE.

This article discusses the challenge of finding and maintaining balance in life when moving to a work from home situation as a result of the corona pandemic The post Working from home during Corona virus part 9 – Balance appeared first on ULFIRE.

The article discusses the balance between sharing and over sharing in a work from home situation. Finding the right balance can be challenging for many The post Working from home during Corona virus part 8 – Sharing appeared first on ULFIRE.

This article discusses the challenges faced by individuals and businesses adapting to a comprehensive work from home situation in response to virus control The post Working from home during the virus outbreak part 7 – adapting appeared first on ULFIRE.

This article discusses flexibility in a mass work from home situation, one where entire families may be all trying to live and work in a common location The post Working from home during the corona virus part 6 – flexibility appeared first on ULFIRE.

This article discusses how marginalisation can occur in a work from home setting and provides both individuals and managers some tips to reduce its occurence and impact The post Working from home during corona virus part 5 – marginalisation appeared first on ULFIRE.

In this article I discuss the challenges of conflict in the workplace when personnel are working from home in an environment of social isolation and stress The post Virtual teams during viral separation part 4 – conflict appeared first on ULFIRE.

This post discusses ways of maintaining an environment of trust when your organisation suddenly adopts a work from home policy. Without trust teams can fall apart and productivity suffer The post Virtual teams during viral separation part 3 – trust appeared first on ULFIRE.

How do a team of people who are used to seeing each other daily in an office environment maintain their engagement with each other and the organisation when they are suddenly separated. The post Virtual teams during viral separation part 2 – engagement appeared first on ULFIRE.

This is the first of a short series of posts aimed at supporting and providing advice to those now to working remotely. I've addressed them in terms of what you should consider if you are suddenly faced with having to move your team to work from home through issues such as the current global virus challenges. The post Virtual teams in a time of viral separation Part 1 – introduction appeared first on ULFIRE.

This is the final theme from the complexity series I began some time ago. Environmental uncertainty complexity impacts the complexity of the project through issues such as the uncertainty of the marketplace for the product and surrounding the project while it is being undertaken; the ways in which the project communicates with its stakeholders; the stakeholders influence over the project and; the political landscape influencing the project and its outcomes. Marketplace – Many projects are undertaken in corporate and social setting in which the marketplace for the outcomes of the project are uncertain and rapidly changing. You can see responses to this in the way in which software development is undertaken in short cycles under methodologies such as agile. On the other end of the spectrum are projects such as infrastructure developments which are typically performed using techniques developed for more longer term environments, this works well when the project is a road or a similar piece of built environment but is less effective when it is deploying new telecommunications equipment. Working in marketplace uncertainty it is important that the project scope is regularly monitored and adjusted as needed against the changing market. Not doing so can result in a […] The post Environmental Uncertainty Complexity in Virtual Team Environments appeared first on ULFIRE.

After a number of years of quiet we are starting to see the new wave of resources projects initiated. Now is the time to ensure personnel leading and within these new projects learn from the past and prepare for the future, yet much of the in house corporate knowledge that would have supported this in the past has been lost in the past half decade. Project teams need to find ways to rebuild their knowledge base around collaborative, virtual team projects to have successful futures. The post Advice for the new wave of resource projects appeared first on ULFIRE.

This podcast is the second of a two part interview with Betsy Clark, President of Software Metrics. In the interview we discussed a case study Betsy contributed to the recently published book 'Integrating Program Management and Systems Engineering'. The book is a joint effort between PMI and International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). Among her contributions to the book, Betsy provided two case studies, the one which is subject of this podcast is her review of the electronic support upgrade for the Royal Australian Navy's ANZAC class frigate. The book is the product of five years of research and writing by a large team of contributors led by Eric Rebentisch and is both a really solid reference and a guide for integrating the two often conflicting disciplines of program management and systems engineering. The post Electronic Support Upgrade for Anzac Frigate case study with Betsy Clark appeared first on ULFIRE.

This podcast is the first part of an interview with Betsy Clark, President of Software Metrics. In the interview we discussed the recently published book 'Integrating Program Management and Systems Engineering'. The book is a joint effort between PMI and International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). Among her contributions to the book Betsy provided two case studies, one on the development of the F/A 18E/F Super Hornet which is the subject of much of this podcast. The book is the product of five years of research and writing by a large team of contributors led by Eric Rebentisch and is both a really solid reference and a guide for integrating the two often conflicting disciplines of program management and systems engineering. The post System Engineering and Program Management F/A 18E/F case study with Betsy Clark appeared first on ULFIRE.

This podcast is a special interview with Stephen Townsend, Director of Network Programs at the Project Management Institute (PMI). In the interview we discussed the recently published book 'Integrating Program Management and Systems Engineering'. The book is a joint effort between PMI and International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). The book is the product of five years of research and writing by a large team of contributors led by Eric Rebentisch and is both a really solid reference and a guide for integrating the two often conflicting disciplines of program management and systems engineering. The post Integrating Program Management and Systems Engineering with Stephen Townsend of PMI appeared first on ULFIRE.

Understanding the impact of method and scope complexity on a project is an increasingly important requirement. Projects are getting bigger and the interfaces continue to grow. In this environment, understanding how mature the definition of the project is and how this is impacted by increasing amounts of new technology and immature assumptions allows project leaders, business leaders and project personnel to deliver better outcomes for all involved. The post Method and Scope Complexity in Virtual Team Projects appeared first on ULFIRE.

Goal complexity in project environments includes issues such as the clarity of project objectives, any bias the project may have toward particular outcomes and solutions, how mature the decision making policy is and the overall understanding of any required trade off between cost, schedule and quality. Getting these issues resolved and clarified at the onset of your project will reduce much of the ongoing delivery risk. The post Goal Complexity in Project Environments appeared first on ULFIRE.

In part II of the short series looking at different contributors to complexity in projects and how it impacts and is impacted by virtual teams considers the social interaction and social complexity aspect, including the impact of communications, respect, commitment, contract types and procedures. This article and podcast follow on from the previous one which looked at forms of structural complexity and virtual teams. The post Social Complexity in Project Virtual Teams appeared first on ULFIRE.

I am really happy to announce that from November this year Ulfire will be delivering the Responding to Organisational Complexity course developed by ICCPM on their behalf in Western Australia and eventually also in the Northern Territory. The course is a unique offering that addresses a gap in knowledge between undergraduate and post graduate training around complexity. The first Perth course starts on 6th November 2017. The post Responding to Organisational Complexity Training Course appeared first on ULFIRE.

As part of the short series looking at complexity in project virtual teams we are looking at structural complexity, how it is defined, what makes a project structurally complex and how that structural complexity contributes to or is influenced by having project virtual teams as part of the project make up. The post Structural complexity and project virtual teams appeared first on ULFIRE.

This post is for a podcast interview with Deb Hein the CEO of the International Centre of Complex Project Management (ICCPM) where we discuss the current state of complexity in projects. The post Interview with Deb Hein of ICCPM appeared first on ULFIRE.

Complex projects seem to be appearing everywhere, or at least everyone seems to think they are. This is an introductory article to the role virtual teams play in complex projects, it sets out some of the challenges in differentiating between truly complex project and those that are really just large or at best complicated. This is the first of a series of articles that will dig into more of the detail of where virtual teams contribute to the complexity of many modern projects and help to establish a better understanding of where complexity sits in the world of modern project management. The post Introduction to the use of Virtual Teams in Complex Projects appeared first on ULFIRE.

Projects are becoming increasingly complicated, they have more stakeholders, they are bigger and they are generally getting harder to complete. Lost in all the growth and complication is the need to address the increasing communications complications, as the teams and challenges have grown so has the need to establish an understanding of their communications needs. This article discusses some of the challenges and suggests a need for the leaders of the projects to become more inclusive and open in the tools and techniques they use and make available to their teams. The post Project Communications Complications appeared first on ULFIRE.

Showing gratitude to your staff and colleagues through a simple, quick email reply with a thanks or a thank you can mean the difference between a grateful and engaged workforce and one that feels they are only there to serve your every need. Taking a few second to acknowledge someone's work is a quick, simple and meaningful way to help to keep your team motivated. The post The Power Of Thank You and Showing Gratitude appeared first on ULFIRE.

Understanding why your project is adopting an international execution strategy is an important step in planning your project. There are a number of reasons modern project may or may not go international, they will all have a large influence on the way the project is run and its potential risk profile. This article considers five of the major reasons that will influence the decision. The post The Good and Bad of International Project Teams appeared first on ULFIRE.

Technology and costs are rapidly changing the way future projects will be approached. Those running these new projects will need new skills and techniques to be successful. It will no longer be a case of being able to simply being able to deliver technical work, team members will need to be exceptional communicators and understand how to work in increasingly complex and harder to predict environments. The post Engineering Project Skills For The Future appeared first on ULFIRE.

Training and developing personnel to take on the key roles of leading international interfaces in virtual team projects is an ongoing task for most businesses who operate in the space. This article considers some of the reasons the development of personnel for these roles is important. The post Developing International Project Communicators appeared first on ULFIRE.

All too often organisations send personnel off on international project assignments with little to no support. They receive a visa, a plane ticket and a contract and that's about it, the organisation then trusts to luck and the employee's skill that the secondment and the project associated with it will be a success. It really does not have to be that way though, a little bit of training, some mentoring and coaching and general support than the outcomes can be so much more predictable. This article is for those on the receiving end of these poorly planned placements, tips to survive when thrown in at the deep end on an international project. The post Surviving at the Deep End on International Projects appeared first on ULFIRE.

Securing personnel for international or intercultural assignments and postings can be a difficult task. It is generally easier to find candidates with the right technical skills than the right cultural and motivational ones, yet, getting the motivational balance wrong can lead to major issues as the deployment progresses. This article looks at some of the issues associated with finding those right personnel for your needs. The post Motivations To Succeed In International Teams Communication appeared first on ULFIRE.

Finding real, genuine leadership role models in the crowded and highly distorted modern world is a major challenge for aspiring leaders. All too often they are left choosing between a media creation on a TV show or in a movie, a politician or a sporting personality, when the people they really need to be emulating are the business leaders, business leaders who are unable to show their true colours because of corporate spin and media control. The post Who Are Our Leadership Role Models appeared first on ULFIRE.

Building a successful international project team relationship requires a broad span of abilities, these range from whatever the technical needs of the role are to many interpersonal and cross cultural abilities. This article discusses some of the ways an organisation can access and utilise many of these skills, skills that can be either internally or externally sourced. The post Understanding Your International Project Partners appeared first on ULFIRE.

Selecting personnel for an expat assignment is a critical activity that can have major impacts on the overall outcome of a project. Pick and send the right people and you will have a solid and productive team who will take care of each other and deliver the best project possible, pick poorly and your project outcomes could be very disappointing and personnel will not have a good experience. The post Selecting Personnel For Expat Roles appeared first on ULFIRE.

This article looks at some of the challenges faced when setting up a new virtual team in establishing and building contact between the locations and the personnel. This first contact can be challenging from a cultural and organisational perspective, with many different barriers blocking what is a vital part of the organisational configuration. The post Making First Contact In International Projects appeared first on ULFIRE.

Achieving value from your training budget investment is an ongoing challenge for many projects and businesses, securing the budget is sometimes the easy part, with demands from all corners on its use. This article however argues that at least a portion of a training budget should be spent on leadership and communications skills. The post Training Budgets For Virtual Team Communications appeared first on ULFIRE.

Something as simple as the complexity of language used in teleconferences in virtual teams, particularly those involving personnel for whom English is a second or third language, can lead to confusion and a sense of exclusion. This article argues for the use of a simple project vocabulary to enable all personnel to speak more or less on a level platform. The post Language Problems In Teleconferences appeared first on ULFIRE.

Understanding how to plan and manage communications across timezones is fundamental to building a stable and reliable virtual team communications plan. As the number of timezones between locations increases, projects find themselves stretching their communications further and further and placing a greater emphasis on written communications over verbal, this in turn leads to a lessening of the quality of communications. The post Virtual Team Communications Across Time Zones appeared first on ULFIRE.

Embedding communications equality in your projects and businesses is particularly important in virtual team environments. Having a conscious and considered approach to maintaining equality in communications will mean your personnel regardless of their geographic location are all able to contribute to the dialogue in your projects and work toward its success. The post Communications Equality In Projects appeared first on ULFIRE.

Communication Silos occur in virtually every organisation and project, personnel get so engrossed in their day to day work they forget to share news and information with those outside of their immediate circle. In virtual teams, communication silos can become particularly destructive as the walls of the silos are defined by the distance between the teams and can be impenetrable to any but the most direct efforts. The post Communication Silos In Virtual Teams appeared first on ULFIRE.

Outsourcing has become synonymous with virtual teams for many. As the impact of globalisation and the advance of technology has meant that jobs and workflows are continually changing, relationships are needing to evolve and personnel must adjust to the changes of office dynamics to remain relevant. The post Impact Of Outsourcing On Virtual Teams appeared first on ULFIRE.

Communications is such an important part of business life it is largely taken for granted, but as teams are becoming increasingly distributed, planning for the eventuality that at some stage in your project communications will become disrupted is an important activity for a business or a project to undertake. The post Planning For Project Communication Disruptions appeared first on ULFIRE.

Getting the best from video meetings requires both the right technology and the right processes and mindset. Deciding how and where to deploy video conference and video meeting technology then ensuring your personnel approach the meetings with the right perspective of cultural understanding will make them effective and productive experiences for all concerned. The post International Project Video Meetings appeared first on ULFIRE.

Recognising and managing the effects of marginalisation in a virtual team environment is one of the major responsibilities of the leadership of the team, all team members are at risk of marginalisation at some stage but particularly those in small and remote offices who may not receive the level of information and attention as the central and usually larger offices. This article attempts to highlight some of the symptoms and cures. The post Managing Marginalisation In Virtual Teams appeared first on ULFIRE.

Undertaking a comprehensive strategic alignment session at the start of a virtual team project is essential to ensure all parties have a common set of goals and understandings before the project starts. This article considers some of the reasons and benefits of such a session. The post Strategic Alignment Of Virtual Team Goals appeared first on ULFIRE.

The use of colloquialisms and specialist technical language can be a great way to short hand conversations in a group with a common technical, regional or cultural background, but, when you start to work with others from different backgrounds or in different locations, these linguistic short cuts and regional colloquialisms can become a liability. This article considers some of the challenges of their use and argues for the use of a more simple language. The post Language And Colloquialisms In Virtual Teams appeared first on ULFIRE.

Face to face meetings are key to relationship building and the development of trust in virtual teams. They can be expensive upfront but properly managed and structured should reap rewards many times the value of any costs incurred. This article considers some of the key times you should consider holding face to face meetings and their value. The post Value Of Face To Face Meetings In Virtual Teams appeared first on ULFIRE.

Great communication skills are essential for virtually every role these days, gone are the days when someone could have a successful career without being able to communicate well with others. As we move into a more networked and virtual society, those with the abilities to communicate effectively will become increasingly in demand in business and society. The post Why You Need Great Communication Skills appeared first on ULFIRE.

Adapting to new cultures as part of a corporate move or expat placement can be a challenging experience for many if not all people involved. In this article we consider some of the specifics of a relocation and how different individuals may or may not adapt. The post Adapting To New Cultures appeared first on ULFIRE.

Recognising the value of coaching in a modern workplace can deliver great benefits in terms of personal development and improved corporate and project outcomes. This article considers the benefits of communications coaching for leaders of virtual teams. The post The Value Of Communications Coaching To Virtual Teams appeared first on ULFIRE.

For every member of every project team, communicating with your peers is a day to day occurrence, yet many struggle with the demands to communicate well, particularly with those they can't see, the members of virtual teams. This article offers some assistance in improving your communication with your peers. The post Communicating With Peers In Project Virtual Teams appeared first on ULFIRE.